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Obverse Design
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A ribbon with folds is shown. Three flat folds one above the other form
rectangles for the legends. The other parts of the ribbon in between these
rectangles have vertical lines close together.
The top rectangle says "CARLOS".
The middle rectangle says "MILLINGEN".
The bottom rectangle says "DAVID".
The token has a dentured edge with an inside rim and a slightly raised outside rim.
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Reverse Design
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The reverse has a large number "5" circled by 48 small dots. Legend curving along
the top above the "5" says "VALE" which means "VALUE". Legend curving along
the bottom below the "5" says "CENTAVOS" which means "CENTS".
There is a small Maltese cross on the right and left sides of the circle,
separating the upper and lower legends.
This variety has been countermarked on the crosses with a small flower design
that appears to be a fleur-di-li.
The token has a dentured edge with an inside rim and a slightly raised outside rim.
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Metal
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White metal; Rulau says copper-nickel; from examination I think it may be a
silver alloy.
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Size and Shape
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Round, 24.5 mm in diameter; thin flan.
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Dates Issued
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Unknown, perhaps around 1890 but before 1906. Juan Arias who issued a very similar token is listed
in the Commercial Directory of the American Republics (1897-1898) as
a "General Merchant" in the city of David, province of Chiriqui.
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Issurer
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Carlos Millingen, who had plantations near David, Chiriqui and may have had a store in David.
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Mintage
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Unknown.
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Rarity
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Very Rare.
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Manufacturer
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Unknown. Apparently the same manufacturer also made the Juan Arias tokens.
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Other Catalog Numbers
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Asociación Numismático's F-81, Henao's HDA 052-1a and Schimmel #43.
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Varieties
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There is only one design variety of this token, but two counterstamps are known.
One was a revaluation to 20 centavos. The other was a mark similar to a
fleur-di-li on the two crosses.
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Function
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Merchant token and/or plantation token.
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Population Count
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Two specimens of this variety in collector hands are known to me. No recent sales.
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Notes
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The reason for this countermark is unknown to me. It is unlikely to be
a revaluation. The Maltese cross was similar to the insignia of the German
Armed Forces in World War I. I speculate that these tokens were countermarked with
fleur-di-li to remove the German insignia and replace it with the symbol of one
of the Allied forces (France).
Ignacio Henao researched these tokens and contacted a descendent of Juan Arias.
He was told that Carlos Alberto Millingen was an Englishman who married a half-sister of
Juan Arias (Carlota Avila) in 1880, so the two of them were brothers-in-law.
In 1906 Carlos Millingen's widow remarried,
so he died sometime before that date. The family did not remember much about the tokens.
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Notas Históricas
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Carlos Alberto Millingen era un inglés residente en David, en la costa Pacifica del entonces
departamento de
Panamá, cerca de la frontera con Costa Rica. Tenía fincas en la región y sus fichas son similares
a los de Juan Arias, lo cual es comprensible dado que en 1880 se había casado con su hermana
media Carlota Hassan Avila. Millingen debe haber fallecido antes de 1906, ya que en junio
de ese año se casó Carlota nuevamente con Pedro del Rio Ruiz.
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